Wayne Hopfinger

Wayne Hopfinger, 66, passed away on April 17, 2026. Wayne was born to Wahneta & Eugene Hopfinger on March 2, 1960, in Rolette, ND. Life in a small rural farming community as an adult was something later in life he missed. At his high school graduation, a slide show was presented of the graduating class. When the subtitle read his plans to seek employment with the North Dakota Highway Patrol, the entire crowd started to laugh because shortly before that there was a rumor, he was involved in the lights from the city cop car coming up missing for a while.

A Memorial Service will be held at 10:30 AM, on Saturday, May 23, at Eastgate Funeral Service, 3117 E Century Ave.

A Visitation will be held from 5-7 PM, on Friday, May 22, at Eastgate Funeral Service.

While attending BJC in Criminal Justice at 20 years old in 1980, he interned at the North Dakota State Penitentiary, where he was offered full-time employment, he worked until 2015. On July 10, 1982, he married his high school sweetheart, Karen Anklam. In 1984 Jerett was born, and in 1987 Derek, completing their family, making their home in Bismarck.

To support his many dreams and expensive hobbies, a prison guard’s pay alone simply wasn’t enough. Over the course of 38 years, he built and ran his own lawn care business, offering services such as tree trimming, sidewalk edging, power raking, fall cleanups, and snow removal. He took great pride in his work and in doing things his own way. On one memorable occasion, in an upper-class neighborhood in Bismarck, a lawn service company referred to him as a “scabber,” but Wayne stood firm, letting his work speak for itself. Before long, word of mouth spread, and his reputation only grew stronger. That reputation eventually led to a caretaker position with a 30-unit condominium association, a role he held for 20 years. There, he oversaw the upkeep of the grounds, which included trimming trees, chasing off persistent woodpeckers from the cedar siding, and coordinating larger projects such as roofing, decks, concrete work, painting, lawn care, and snow removal.

In high school, he played basketball; with a loss in the regional championship in 1978, he missed the dream of going to the ND Boys State Class B tournament. He did get to a state tournament in 2004 as an official for the ND Girls Class B tournament. This was an honor that he cherished. Over the 20-plus years as an official, many friendships that spanned decades existed. There also were another two sports—slow pitch and fast pitch softball. He worked mostly in Bismarck but traveled wherever an official was needed.

Wayne was a true outdoorsman. Wildlife hunted were deer, elk, pheasants, a once-in-a-lifetime moose in ND, mountain lion, bobcat, and if you were a walleye in the “BIG LAKE,” he was always trying to find the big one. From Indian Hills to the river in New Town, it was time to “Rip Some Lips.” With his ability to spot wildlife, his friends from Montana asked him to scout for them on a Big Horn Ram hunt, in which their hunt was successful.

In 1982, Wayne and his new bride took their honeymoon on a 1981 Honda 750. When he started his family, that was sold to buy a camper. In 2005, after the passing of his father, there was a statement made, not a question, that he was going to buy a new motorcycle. He was the proud owner of a 2005 Harley Davidson Ultra Classic. With his wife being a farm girl who rode to the fields on a dirt bike, shortly after that a 2006 Harley Davidson Street Glide was purchased. Annual trips included locations of Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, the “Tail of the Dragon” in North Carolina, the Canadian Rockies, the Oregon Coast, Washington State Highway 101, an attempt at Highway 1 in California, and two trips to Utah to explore the seven national parks.

Wayne had many names that his friends and family called him: Hoppy, Hop, his boat’s name Hop’s Hooker, Wayner, Chumbie, and the one he treasured, Papa.

The day that changed everything in his life was on March 20, 2026, with a doctor telling us a diagnosis of Glioblastoma cancer. Twenty-one days before his death, he entered Hospice at HIA Heather’s House in Fargo, ND. As his family and friends helped him on this journey, at a point this support shifted to people at his bedside. This cancer took his life in just twenty-nine days.

He is survived by his loving wife of 43 years, Karen Hopfinger; his sons, Jerett and Derek Hopfinger; and his grandson, Radrick Hopfinger. He is also survived by his sisters, Debbie Schiff and Peggy Hopfinger.

Wayne was preceded in death by his brother, Rodney Hopfinger; mother, Wahneta Hopfinger; father, Eugen Hopfinger; mother-in-law, Kathy Anklam; and father-in-law, Donald Anklam.

The time shared with Hop was always something to remember and something that will be cherished.